A delightful story of a child’s visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language, and cultures.
Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother—her Amah—who lives SO FAR AWAY.
When she and Mama finally go to Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren’t the same as real life. And in Taiwan, Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture, and food. However, after she is invited by Amah—Lái kàn kàn! Come see!—to play and splash in the hot springs (which aren’t that different from the pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother’s eyes and sees a new side of the things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah—Come see! Lái kàn kàn!—back through all her favorite parts of this place and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.
Author’s note. Illustrator’s note. “Explore the Taipei Sights in Amah Faraway.” Note about Taiwanese food. Full-color illustrations were created with India ink, Japanese watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil.
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PreS-Gr 2-Kylie and her mother travel to Taipei from San Francisco to spend time with her Amah, or grandmother, with whom she video chats frequently but can't visit because of the distance. At first, the little girl feels nervous and unsure about the excursion, daunted by the language barrier and overwhelmed by new tastes and sights Amah wants to share with her. However, when they visit the hot springs, Kylie finally finds that embracing this comforting activity bonds her with her Amah and allows her to enjoy the rest of the stay. She delights in all of the things she found strange at first, and is sad to leave her grandmother when it's time to return home. She enthusiastically continues to video chat with her grandmother every Saturday and is no longer scared, but excited for future visits. Subisak's watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations lovingly show details from Taiwanese life and culture. Ranging from multiple vignettes per page to full spreads, they possess an almost cinematic storyboard quality while supporting the mirrored narrative symmetry that has the hot spring visit as its midpoint. Taiwanese words and conversation are used throughout, clear from context. VERDICT As is true for Hyewon Yum's Grandpa Across the Ocean, this is a poignantly emotional and highly relatable story for children whose grandparents or other family members might live far away, but also one that teaches universal lessons about overcoming fears of the unfamiliar.-Yelena Voysey